FISCAL NOTE

Senate Bill 356 as introduced (1) codifies existing practice of setting the current salaries for district attorneys (DAs), serving as of October 1, 2021, to $1,000 less than the highest paid circuit judge of the state; and (2) establishes a new compensation plan for DAs which provide for an initial salary of $140,000 for newly elected or appointed DAs after October 1, 2021 with a 7.5% pay raise after completion of each term of office up to three terms, which could decrease the obligations of the State General Fund for fiscal year 2023 by an undetermined amount dependent upon the number of newly appointed or elected DAs. The current salary for DAs is $156,522.

If the judicial compensation is changed as proposed in Senate Bill 292, then each currently serving DA will receive an increase of $16,400 if re-elected to a new term. This would increase the obligations of the State General Fund, by an estimated minimum of $689,000 annually in fiscal year 2023 and by an undetermined amount each fiscal year thereafter, dependent upon the salary of the highest paid circuit court judge in the state. However, the increase in fiscal year 2023 could be offset, partly, by an undetermined amount dependent upon the number of newly elected or appointed DAs that take office in January 2023 and the associated salary of each newly elected or appointed DA.